text:
Transplant and Pulmonary Hypertension
Now That I am Listed, What's the Next Step?
In a word, the next step is waiting. During this time, it will be essential that your transplant team be able to contact you should an organ become available. Many transplant centers give transplant candidates pagers in case they cannot be reached by phone. During the wait period, you must follow all instructions from your transplant team regarding communication, and must develop a plan for being transported to the transplant center when a donor organ becomes available.
Physical Preparations
The waiting period is a good time for you to make sure that you are in the best mental and physical shape possible to increase your chances of transplant success. See the section below on mental wellness during the waiting period. In terms of physical wellness, the two key components are nutrition and exercise. The stronger you are going into the surgery, the better your body will be able to cope with the stresses that the transplant operation entails.
Good nutrition is essential during the pre-transplant period. You should continue to follow the low-sodium diet suggest for PH patients. Your transplant program may also have a requirement that you are within a certain percentage (either above or below) your ideal body weight and you should work with your doctors to establish a diet plan that will help you achieve this goal.
While exercise may be difficult due to decreased lung capacity, you may be able to do some exercises to increase your body's strength and endurance in preparation for the surgery. Being in better physical shape will not only increase your chances for a successful transplant, but will make the recovery easier after the surgery is over. This is something you should talk about with your transplant team.
Because being in the best physical state possible is important prior to transplant, you must contact your transplant center if:
- You experience any significant change in your health status
- You develop an infection, start antibiotics or your doctor changes your medications
- You are admitted to a hospital for any reason
Legal Preparations
In addition to these physical preparations, there are some other considerations you must take prior to transplant. Though your transplant team will do everything possible to ensure the success of your transplant, it is possible for transplant candidates to become critically ill before, during or after lung transplant. Should this occur, it will be helpful if you have already established an advanced directive and a durable power of attorney.
Adults ages 18 years and older who are considered mentally competent have the right to make decisions about their medical treatment. If you want to control decisions about your healthcare, even if you become unable to make or express these decisions yourself, you will need an advanced directive. An advanced directive is a written document in which you state what medical care you would want in the event that you lose the ability to make decisions for yourself.
Durable power of attorney means that you name someone to make your medical decisions for you if you later become unable to make or express these decisions yourself. Power of attorney is assigned through a legal document in which you name the individual and say what medical treatments you would want and which you would not want. Should you decide to name a power of attorney, you should choose someone who you trust and share your wishes with the person before putting them into writing.


text:
Ford F-150, Superduty, Taurus, Explorer and Fusion Are Just a Few of the All-Star Names You'll Find at Matheny Ford, Proudly Serving Marietta, Williamstown, Harrisville and West Union, WV
You're in the market for a new car, but not just any new car: you're looking for something truly extraordinary. If that's the case, Matheny Ford has just what you're looking for: a new Ford. Models like the Ford F-150, Superduty, Taurus, Explorer and Fusion have been wowing drivers from St. Marys for years, and now it's your turn to share in the excitement. So be sure to have a look at our inventory listed above. Try sorting by various categories to narrow down the field a bit. And if you have any questions, be sure to ask us. We love answering them!
You've Found the Ford F-150, Superduty, Taurus, Explorer or Fusion that Speaks to You - What Comes Next?
First and foremost: a test drive. This is your chance to explore the vehicle you're considering inside and out. Once you've decided for sure it's the model for you, it's time to talk financing. We'll discuss loan rates, lease options and everything that goes with them. After that, it's just a matter of time before you're driving your new car home, perfectly matched with a financing solution that meets your budget and needs.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
KRAUTHAMMER: America sidelined, barely relevant
The war in Syria, started by locals, is now a regional conflict, the meeting ground of two warring blocs. On one side, the radical Shiite bloc led by Iran, which overflies Iraq to supply Bashar al-Assad and sends Hezbollah to fight for him. Behind them lies Russia, which has stationed ships offshore, provided the regime with tons of weaponry and essentially claimed Syria as a Russian protectorate.
And on the other side are the Sunni Gulf states terrified of Iranian hegemony (territorial and soon nuclear); non-Arab Turkey, now convulsed by an internal uprising; and fragile Jordan, dragged in by geography.
And behind them? No one. It's the Spanish Civil War except that only one side — the fascists — showed up. The natural ally of what began as a spontaneous, secular, liberationist uprising in Syria was the United States. For two years, it did nothing.
President Obama's dodge was his chemical-weapons "red line." In a conflict requiring serious statecraft, Obama chose to practice forensics instead, earnestly agonizing over whether reported poison gas attacks reached the evidentiary standards of "CSI: Miami."
Obama talked "chain of custody," while Iran and Russia, hardly believing their luck, reached for regional dominance — the ayatollahs solidifying their "Shiite crescent," Vladimir Putin seizing the opportunity to dislodge America as regional hegemon, a position the United States achieved four decades ago under Henry Kissinger.
And when finally forced to admit that his red line had been crossed — a "game changer," Obama had gravely warned — what did he do? Promise the rebels small arms and ammunition.
That's it? It's meaningless: The rebels are already receiving small arms from the Gulf states.
Compounding the halfheartedness, Obama transmitted his new "calculus" through his deputy national security adviser. Deputy, mind you. Obama gave 39 (or was it 42?) speeches on health-care reform. How many on the regional war in Syria, in which he has now involved the United States, however uselessly? Zero.
Serious policymaking would dictate that we either do something that will alter the course of the war, or do nothing. Instead, Obama has chosen to do just enough to give the appearance of having done something.
But it gets worse. Despite his commitment to steadfast inaction, Obama has been forced by events to send F-16s, Patriot missiles and a headquarters unit of the 1st Armored Division (indicating preparation for a possible "larger force," explains The Post) — to Jordan. America's most reliable Arab ally needs protection. It is threatened not just by a flood of refugees but also by the rise of Iran's radical Shiite bloc with ambitions far beyond Syria, beyond even Jordan and Lebanon to Yemen, where, it was reported just Wednesday, Iran is arming and training separatists.
Obama has thus been forced back into the very vacuum he created — but at a distinct disadvantage. We are now scrambling to put together some kind of presence in Jordan as a defensive counterweight to the Iran-Hezbollah-Russia bloc.
The tragedy is that we once had a counterweight and Obama threw it away. Obama still thinks the total evacuation of Iraq is a foreign policy triumph. In fact, his inability — unwillingness? — to negotiate a Status of Forces Agreement that would have left behind a small but powerful residual force in Iraq is precisely what compels him today to re-create in Jordan a pale facsimile of that regional presence.
Whatever the wisdom of the Iraq war in the first place, when Obama came to office in January 2009 the war was won. Al-Qaeda in Iraq had been routed. Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite government had taken down the Sadr Shiite extremists from Basra all the way north to Baghdad. Casualties were at a wartime low; the civil war essentially over.
We had a golden opportunity to reap the rewards of this too-bloody war by establishing a strategic relationship with an Iraq that was still under American sway. Iraqi airspace, for example, was under U.S. control as we prepared to advise and rebuild Iraq's nonexistent air force.
With our evacuation, however, Iraqi airspace today effectively belongs to Iran — over which it is flying weapons, troops and advisers to turn the tide in Syria. The U.S. air bases, the vast military equipment, the intelligence sources available in Iraq were all abandoned. Gratis. Now we're trying to hold the line in Jordan.
Obama is learning very late that, for a superpower, inaction is a form of action. You can abdicate, but you really can't hide. History will find you. It has now found Obama.


text:
Still in intensive care, they were shot for refusing order to convert to Islam.
TOBA TEK SINGH, Pakistan, January 14 (CDN) — Two Pakistani Christians who were shot at a wedding on Dec. 26 for refusing to convert to Islam are still receiving treatment at a hospital intensive care unit, but doctors are hopeful that they will recover.
In low, barely audible voices, Imran Masih, 21, and Khushi Masih, 24, told Compass that two Muslims armed with AK-47s in Punjab Province's Chak (village) 297-JB, in Toba Tek Singh district, shot them in their chests after they refused orders to recite the Islamic creed signifying conversion.
Soon after they arrived at the wedding, a group of Muslim youths armed with AK-47 assault rifles surrounded them and began shooting into the air, as is customary at village weddings. They were not alarmed, they said, assuming the young Muslim men were simply celebrating joyfully.
"One of the green-turban-wearing Muslims peremptorily told us to recite the Islamic holy Kalima [profession of faith] or face direct bullets and the lethal consequences," said Khushi Masih.
Both Christians said that they joyfully refused, and instead they began reciting Psalm 91.
"Our decision infuriated them," Imran Masih said, "and instead of shooting into the air, they shot us, leaving us only after being convinced that we were dead. Praise the name of Lord Jesus Christ, who raised us from the dead!"
The fathers of the two Christians found their sons collapsed in a puddle of blood and rushed them to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. Imran Masih sustained two broken ribs from the shots, with one bullet passing two millimeters from his heart. Khushi Masih was wounded in the chest and right leg. Bullets from an AK-47 do less harm if they pass through the body than if they become lodged in the flesh and begin to fragment.
"They are recovering fast and their wounds are healing, but they were still under strict observation in the intensive care unit," said the father of Imran Masih. He added that doctors are concerned for their lives but believe they will recover.
Police have registered a case against the suspects, whose names were not released, but have yet to arrest them, the station house officer of Saddr police station told Compass.
"Very soon we will arrest them to prosecute and put them behind the bars," he said. The investigation is continuing, he added.
The suspects are basing their defense on the assertion that they shot the Christians by accident, said family members of the wounded Christians, strongly denying the claim.
The fathers of the two Christians said Islamic extremist Hafiz Aziz Gujjar, a member of a local hard-line proselytizing group, has long pressured the two victims to convert to Islam. They said Gujjar has enticed or pressured other Christians and followers of other faiths to recant their beliefs.
With a mixture of sorrow and pride, the fathers said that their sons remained firm in Christ, shedding blood but refusing to surrender their Christian vows.
Report from Compass Direct News


text:
Today, the National Academies of Science have released the results of its Decadal Survey, entitled "New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics." As the name implies, the survey happens every 10 years, and is intended to obtain input from the astronomy community regarding what science projects should be made funding priorities by the US government. The report places priorities on three main objectives—exoplanets, the formation of the first structures in the Universe, and the physics that have governed its evolution—and produced a list of missions that places a high priority on observatories that can help solve problems in more than one of these areas.
Generally, NASA and the National Science Foundation are the main participants in this survey, but Stanford's Roger Blandford, who chaired the committee that prepared the report, mentioned that the Department of Energy took part for the first time. The committee was divided into five panels (planetary systems and star formation, stars and stellar evolution, galactic neighborhood, galaxies across cosmic time, and cosmology and fundamental physics), which were asked to formulate a single key question, and four areas of science that address it.
The committee received input via 17 town halls held around the nation, and over 300 papers were submitted for its consideration. In the end, they chose to prioritize the three areas mentioned above. The cosmic dawn category focuses on the formation of the earliest objects in the universe, from the first stars and black holes they produced to the earliest galaxies. This era has been poorly studied so far, as it occurs after the microwave background, but is heavily redshifted by its extreme age.
This may partly overlap with the physics of the Universe priority, which will focus on studies of inflation, dark matter, and dark energy, areas where astronomy can help inform our general understanding of physics. The last priority, new worlds, is a direct product of the fact that we've gone from a handful of exoplanets during the last decadal survey to hundreds, with hundreds of Kepler candidates waiting in the wings.
As Blandford stated at the press conference that accompanied the report's release, these priorities were balanced against some severe budget constraints—the survey assumed that the agencies involved would have flat budgets for the indefinite future. As such, the priorities were to maximize returns per dollar and limit the risk involved in the technology. This ended up placing a priority on ground-based observatories and projects that were already on the drawing board, since many of these have a mature technological foundation.
That said, major new space-based observatories were hardly ignored. What follows is a rough outline of some of the missions that the survey endorses.
Large space missions
Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (W-First) This will contribute both to the search for exoplanets, since it can image the dusty disk around stars, and to improving our understanding of dark energy by imaging extremely distant objects. It's considered medium to low risk, and can be operated for about $1.6 billion over its lifespan.
International X-ray Observatory (IXO) On the other side of the light spectrum, this is a proposal to combine NASA and ESA proposals to produce a successor to the Chandra X-ray Observatory. It will be a general purpose scope, able to generate X-ray spectra of everything from the accretion disk of a black hole to the hot gasses between galaxies. The survey calls on the US to fund half of its $5 billion price tag.
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) This would put three craft millions of kilometers apart in an Earth-trailing orbit, and use interferometry to detect the presence of gravity waves. In contrast to Earth-based equivalents like LIGO, LISA would be sensitive enough to pick up things like white dwarf binaries. This would also require ESA support, and the successful completion of a pathfinder mission.
More Explorer missions The committee thinks that these low-cost, higher-risk missions give great returns for their costs, and so wants to see the budget for them slightly more than doubled.
Medium space missions
Here, the report focuses on technology development in two areas. One is to develop and validate technology for getting high-precision measurements of the polarization of the microwave background, focusing on ground-based observations before preparing the hardware for space. The second item is to use the information that's coming in about exoplanets to design hardware to provide direct observations of their properties.
Large ground projects
Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) This is an 8.4m scope planned for Chile that will scan the entire sky every three days, eventually building an archive of images over 100PB (petabytes) large. It should shed light on what the report calls the "time variable Universe," including everything from gravitational lensing events to small near-Earth objects. It's ready to build now, and will cost $460 million to construct and $40 million a year to run.
Mid-scale Innovations The committee received a lot of compelling proposals for projects with price tags in the $5 million-135 million price range, and recommends the NSF expand its existing budget for efforts on this scale.
Giant Segmented Mirror Telescope (GSMT) Giant is in the area of 30m with adaptive optics in this case. Globally, three of them are in progress with private funds. The report recommends that the NSF pick one, and pay a third of its costs to ensure that the researchers it funds have time on hardware of this class.
Atmospheric Čerenkov Telescope Array Both the US and European consortiums are looking to build hardware that will track the arrival of gamma rays with energies in the TeraElectronVolt. The US is advised to fund one, as risk and construction and operations costs are relatively low.
Medium ground projects
Cerro Chajnantor Atacama Telescope A 25m telescope for sub-millimeter wavelengths, CCAT will complement an existing instrument (ALMA) by performing surveys to identify objects for follow-up observations.
Although the decadal surveys are highly influential, Congress and NASA administrators will ultimately make many of the final decisions on funding priorities, and the global economic situation may make an era of flat budgets overly optimistic well before the decade is out. There are also some significant missions, like Juno, the Mars Science Laboratory, and the James Webb Space Telescope, that are already well-advanced, and due to be launched within the decade in question.
Listing image by NASA/JPL/SSI


text:
Chicago Watercolor Style Map Scarf
$ 54.95
Your favorite place as a wearable scarf! Made from microfiber cloth with an overall size of 80" x 24" - big enough to wrap yourself a few times.
Made from a microfiber material that looks and feels just like silk - fun, colorful and perfect to warm yourself up on cool nights with style and panache.
Ships within 7 days of order, USPS Priority Mail from Newport, RI


text:
Find a new car near Lake Bluff, IL on YaSabe. Use our website to find new cars and get new car prices. You can also choose from any of the following links to help in your search for a new car.
Spend less cash for a better car with a used car near Lake Bluff, IL. Browse used cars and dealers near Lake Bluff, IL on YaSabe. Narrow your search criteria to find the right car for you. Read about different car models and compare cars side by side.
Search millions of cars to find the best used car near Lake Bluff, IL, new car near Lake Bluff, IL or certified car near Lake Bluff, IL for you. From private sellers to dealers, your gateway to the car you need and want is a button away. Shop from your entire range of options with one search.


text:
Front Runners List: Click to see list completion progress by climbers that log their climbs using Peakbagger.com.
Multiple Ascents Grid: Click for a grid showing all of Sean O's ascents of peaks on this list (including up to 10 rounds of repeats).
Compare Climbers: Click to compare ascents of up to 5 climbers working on this list.
The Colorado Fourteeners are one of the best-known peakbagging lists in the world. Every single Rocky Mountain summit rising to over 14,000 feet lies in the arbitrary rectangle of Colorado, and these summits that cross the magic threshold have become iconic landmarks of the state. Maps and atlases try to show as many of these peaks as possible, road signs point them out to car travellers, and the hikes to summits of fourteeners are thronged on summer weekends.
The popularity of this peakbagging pursuit is easy to understand. 53 or 54 peaks is not too many, but enough to make it a real project. All but about eight or so of the peaks are just walk-up hikes, and the difficult ones are not a problem for experienced scramblers. In summer there are few, if any, snowfields to contend with, and afternoon thunderstorms are the major weather hazard. These summits are all among the highest in the United States, too, giving this list high appeal to those who like simply to be above it all.
Carl Blaurock and Bill Ervin were the first to climb all the fourteeners in the 1920s, based on the surveys at that time. Recently, climber number 1000 completed the entire list, based on the records of the Colorado Mountain Club.
As with many famous threshold-based peak lists, there is ongoing debate over which summits belong on the list. Above, summits are ranked if they have 280 feet or more of clean prominence (300 feet of interpolated prominence), giving us a consistent list with 53 summits. Traditionally, El Diente and North Maroon Peak are included on most versions of Colorado Fourteener lists, mainly because of the difficulty of traversing the ridge to these peaks despite a low saddle rise from their nearest higher neighbors. Also, Challenger Point has long been left off traditional lists, and Ellingwood Peak was in a similar situation not too recently.
If you include El Diente and North Maroon, and you want a strict prominence cutoff, then Northwest Massive (and perhaps South Elbert) must also be included on your list.
Of course, it is up to the climber to decide which peaks to climb. You can pick a rigid prominence cutoff that fancies you, use an official club list, use an isolation cutoff, or just climb the peaks that inspire you the most.
Caution: These books feature many of the peaks on this list, but may not have information on all of them.
= Peaks climbed by Sean O = Unclimbed peaks
This page has been served 1522176 times since 2004-11-01.


text:
Mandela inspired music, movies, poems
NEW YORK – Heroic in his deeds, graceful in his manner, sainted in his image, Nelson Mandela long served as both cause and muse in the entertainment community.
From the 1960s, when he was a political prisoner and South Africa was under the laws of apartheid, right up to his death on Thursday, when apartheid had fallen and he was among the world's most admired people. Mandela inspired concerts, songs, poems, fiction and movies. Those honoring him include Academy Award winners Sidney Poitier and Morgan Freeman, Grammy winners Stevie Wonder and Whitney Houston and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, a South African novelist.
Artists were equally drawn to the man and to what he stood for. Poitier, gifted at conveying fiery resilience and good-natured restraint, was an obvious choice to portray him for a TV movie in the 1997. Freeman, an actor of such august bearing that his roles have ranged from judges to God, played Mandela in "Invictus," about a South African rugby team.
During the quarter century Mandela was jailed, his freedom became synonymous with the freedom of his country. Songwriters and poets invoked his name in calling for apartheid's end. Elizabeth Alexander, who read the inaugural poem at the swearing-in of President Obama in 2009, had years earlier written "A Poem for Nelson Mandela," which featured the lines "Nelson Mandela is with me because I believe/in symbols; symbols bear power; symbols demand/power; and that is how a nation/follows a man who leads from prison/and cannot speak to them."
It took some daring to support Mandela during his prison years, when Mandela and the political movement he led, the African National Congress, were on international terrorist lists and opinions about him often divided between liberals and conservatives. As late as 1988, just two years before his release, an all-star concert held to celebrate his 70th birthday was censored on television to remove political content.
But just as South Africa managed a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy, Mandela evolved from opposition leader to head of state to sage with remarkably little damage; he only seemed to gain admirers. "Nelson Mandela is, for me, the single statesman in the world," Nobel laureate Toni Morrison once observed. "The single statesman, in that literal sense, who is not solving all his problems with guns. It's truly unbelievable." Over the last decade of his life, Mandela presided over a series of "46664" concerts in South Africa, named for Mandela's prison number (466) and the year he was jailed, 1964.
Some of Hollywood's greatest actors played him on film, notably Freeman in the 2009 release "Invictus," directed by Clint Eastwood. Poitier and Danny Glover each starred in TV movies about Mandela's life and Mandela himself made a cameo at the end of Spike Lee's "Malcolm X," released in 1992. "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," starring Idris Elba and based on Mandela's autobiography, has just been released.
One of the landmarks of the movement to free Mandela was a 1988 televised concert from London's Wembley Stadium that celebrated his 70th birthday and featured such superstars as Wonder, Houston and Sting. At the time, Mandela's African National Congress was still regarded as a terrorist organization by many countries and had been condemned by Britain's then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The BBC angered Mandela supporters by censoring political statements and angered the South African government by airing the concert at all.
A 1990 concert celebrating his release featured Tracy Chapman, Neil Young and Mandela himself, who received a long standing ovation. Shows in his honor continued over the decades, with Will Smith, U2's Bono and Annie Lennox among those appearing.
Songs protesting apartheid and praising Mandela were written throughout the 1980s and up through his release from prison in 1990, from Eddy Grant's "Gimme Hope Jo'Anna" to Steve Van Zandt's all-star "Sun City," featuring Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis and many other performers. Songs directly about Mandela included a Bono-Joe Strummer collaboration, "46664": "Free Nelson Mandela," by Special A.K.A., an off-shoot of the Specials, and Simple Minds' "Mandela Day."
Gordimer's 1987 novel "A Sport of Nature" prophesized the end of apartheid and included a liberation leader based on Mandela. Poems about Mandela date back at least to the 1970s with "And I Watch it in Mandela," by South Africa's John Matshikiza. Jekwu Ikeme's "When Mandela Goes," published in 2004, bowed to mortality and looked to a future without the hallowed man whose tribal name was Madiba.
When you go Madiba your nobility shall be our lasting inheritance
this land you so love shall continue to love
we shall trail the long and majestic walk
your gallant walk shall be our cross and shepherd.


text:
I have blogged before on superbugs in our bodies—like C. diff, MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Superbugs is the term for bacteria that have developed antibiotic resistance, making the infections they cause very difficult to treat. The main reason for the development of these superbugs is the overuse of antibiotics—in medicine, food production (livestock) and even in hand soaps.
Now, there's a new superbug in town, a superbug of a different kind. And who is behind it, but Monsanto, the biotechnology giant. It seems that one of Monsanto's biggest money-makers—Bt corn, is creating superbugs. The majority of non-organic corn planted in the U.S. is genetically modified to produce a toxic compound against western corn rootworms—a major corn pest. This corn is well-known as Bt corn, because it contains a gene from the soil microorganisms Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), which produces an insecticide against the corn rootworm.
Genetically modified Bt corn worked so well against the corn rootworm that some farmers began planting it every year, instead of the usual rotation of growing corn one year and soybeans the next—a method that helps reduce pest populations. If there is one thing that farmers should know, it's that planting the same thing every year is a recipe for disaster (even if it doesn't seem that way at first).
It turns out the corn rootworms, much like the superbug bacteria infecting humans, are developing a resistance to the Bt toxin that usually destroys the pest. A few farms in Iowa are reporting that the Bt corn no longer kills the corn rootworm, meaning the bugs—now superbugs—have developed resistance to the Bt toxin. First superbugs in our guts, now superbugs on corn, soon superbugs everywhere. (Anyone notice a problem, here?)
Competitors of Monsanto estimate that about one-third of all the corn grown in the U.S. is Monsanto's Bt corn. These competitors have their own Bt corn, with slightly different genes, that they are offering as a solution for the Bt resistant rootworm. Are you kidding? This seems ridiculous to me. It's like placing a Band-Aid on a war wound. If they think that the corn rootworm won't also develop resistance to their Bt toxin, they're crazy. Unfortunately, it's all about money. Preserving human health, or even feeding the planet, has nothing to do with it.
Corn and its by-products are in so many foods. Try to buy products using organic corn, or at least non-GM corn, to avoid being part of the human experiment that is the consumption of GM foods in this country. We just don't know if they're safe yet, and many studies suggest they're not.


text:
On All Orders $150 And Over!
See Our New Shipping Rates
Questions? Call Our team
of professionals for help @
FREE Shipping with orders over $150 (details)
Stock Item
The Watts WQCSC10 Kwik-Change Replacement Sediment Prefilter is a 1/4 turn quick change replacement filter for the WQCFU-T Ultrafiltration system. Changing the filter is quick and easy, requiring no tools. It is recommended that you replace this filter every 6 months.
Orders over $199 receive free UPS ground shipping in the continental U.S. (excluding Alaska). Exceptions exist, and additional freight charges will apply for some low priced, drop shipped items from Canada and for addresses that carry accessorial UPS charges, such as certain island destinations that require ferry service and other remote locations. We will notify you of any additional amount before it is charged.
For orders between $1 - $99, a flat shipping rate of $20.00 applies for UPS ground service. For orders between $100 - $199, a flat shipping rate of $12.00 applies for UPS ground service.
Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air & 3-Day Select delivery services are available at an additional cost.
We ship in stock items on the next business day in most cases. UPS Next Day Air and 2nd Day Air orders received before 3:00 pm Eastern Time can be shipped the same day, if ordered by phone and a request is made to expedite the order.
Please allow up to 10 business days, starting with the next business day after your order was placed, for delivery. Many orders will be received in less time. Back-ordered items may require extra time. Should any items in your order be delayed, we will contact you. If we can not deliver your order in this time frame, the order may be canceled prior to shipment, and a full refund will be credited.
Special order merchandise or custom-built equipment requires longer lead-time. Large orders and assembled whole house units are shipped via common carrier, stretch wrapped on a pallet.
We do not ship to P.O. boxes. Non-stock items are usually drop shipped.
In 2011 Congress enacted the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act's section regarding the use and introduction into commerce of lead pipes, plumbing fittings or fixtures, solder and flux. The Act established a prospective effective date of January 4, 2014, which provided a three year timeframe for affected parties to transition to the new requirements. All of the metal fixtures and fittings sold by H2O Distributors are compliant with this act.
[ Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader ]
Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act
More Information on Lead in Drinking Water
H2O Distributors is proud to feature American-made products on its web site.
All such products will be marked with a icon.
When prices are not shown on the product detail page, add the item to the shopping cart to view the price.
To see our "in-store" price on this product, you must add it to your Shopping Cart by clicking the Add to Cart button. Please be assured that adding an item to your cart does not obligate you to purchase it--you can always delete the item from your cart.
We are required by the manufacturer to do this to conform to their new "Minimum Advertised Price" (MAP) policy.
NSF is widely recognized for its scientific and technical expertise in the health and environmental sciences. Its professional staff includes engineers, chemists, toxicologists, and environmental health professionals with broad experience both in public and private organizations. NSF certified products will be marked with a symbol.
NSF has earned the Collaborating Center designations by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment.
Download Quick-Connect Instructions
Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
Fitting grips before it seals. Ensure tube is pushed into the tube stop.
Push the tube into the fitting, to the tube stop. The collet (gripper) has stainless steel teeth which hold the tube firmly in position while the O-ring provides a permanent leak-proof seal.
Pull on the tube to check that it is secure. It is a good practice to test the system prior to leaving site and/or before use.
To disconnect, ensure the system is depressurized before removing the tube. Push in collet squarely against face of fitting. With the collet held in this position, the tube can be removed. The fitting can then be re-used.
Download Quick-Connect Instructions
Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
Fitting grips before it seals. Ensure tube is pushed into the tube stop.
Push the tube into the fitting, to the tube stop. The collet (gripper) has stainless steel teeth which hold the tube firmly in position while the O-ring provides a permanent leak-proof seal.
Pull on the tube to check that it is secure. It is a good practice to test the system prior to leaving site and/or before use.
To disconnect, ensure the system is depressurized before removing the tube. Push in collet squarely against face of fitting. With the collet held in this position, the tube can be removed. The fitting can then be re-used.
John Guest is the originator of Quick-Connect Fitting Technology and the world leader. John Guest Fittings, Valves & Tubing are produced in the UK to exacting quality standards that are second to none!
Download SharkBite Instructions
Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
SharkBite brass push-to-connect fittings create a seamless and easy transition between different types of pipe materials. No tools are required and the fittings can be even installed in wet lines. The fitting can be rotated after installation, so you can install without having to worry about how it's positioned. SharkBite fittings are also approved for behind the wall and underground installations. If the fitting is being installed for underground use, wrap with silicone self-adhesive tape before burying.
To get started, identify the pipe material. SharkBite brass push-to-connect fittings are compatible with PEX, Copper, CPVC, PE-RT and HDPE pipe. SharkBite fittings come with a PEX stiffener pre-loaded into the fitting for PEX, PE-RT and HDPE. The PEX stiffener does not need to be removed for Copper or CPVC applications.
Be sure the pipe is free of scratches or debris and cut the pipe as cleanly and squarely as possible. If you are working with copper pipe, use a deburr tool or sand paper to remove any sharp edges or burrs on the pipe. Failing to deburr the pipe properly can compromise the fitting.
Use your SharkBite Deburr & Gauge Tool to measure and mark the insertion depth on your pipe.
Push the fitting to the insertion mark you just made on the pipe. Now, turn on the water and check the connection.
Unlike other fittings, SharkBite brass push-to-connect fittings can be removed and re-used if changes are necessary. To remove the fitting, use a SharkBite Disconnect Clip or Disconnect Tongs. To use the Disconnect Clip, snap it on to the pipe and pull up to the release collar. Press the release collar using the Disconnect Clip and pull the pipe from the fitting. To use the Disconnect Tongs, slide the tongs over the fitting and the pipe. Squeeze the tongs to press the fitting's release collar and pull the pipe from the fitting. The SharkBite Universal brass push-to-connect fitting is ready to re-use.
The Water Quality Association's Gold Seal Certification Program is dedicated to providing public health and safety services throughout the USA and globally, while maintaining expert service, superior reputation, and fair pricing. The Gold Seal Program offers certification of all products and chemicals that contact drinking water.
WQA certified products will be marked with a symbol.
Please see our Shipping Section on our Terms & Conditions page for more information.
|Order Total
|Shipping Charge
|$20 - $59.99
|$15 Shipping
|$60 - $119.99
|$12 Shipping
|$120 - $149.99
|$8 Shipping
|Free Shipping


text:
'Duck Dynasty' couple to guest on Fox News special
NEW YORK – "Duck Dynasty" star Willie Robertson will talk about his outspoken father as he helps Fox News Channel ring in the new year.
The network says Robertson and wife Korie will be guests on the "All-American New Year" special Fox News is airing Tuesday night.
The West Monroe, La., couple will appear live from Steamboat Springs, Colo., to discuss the recent brief suspension of "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson from the hit A&E reality series. His nine-day removal resulted from anti-gay comments Robertson made in GQ magazine. A firestorm was set off among his legions of defenders who felt he was being censored by the network.
A&E reinstated him last Friday.
The Fox News special will be hosted by Bill Hemmer and Elisabeth Hasselbeck from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Follow The News-Star on Twitter @TheNewsStar


text:
Add To Favorites
Top of the page
This tool can be used to estimate the impact that smoking will have on your lifespan. Based on the number of cigarettes you smoked in the past and how many you will smoke from now until the date you plan to quit, this tool estimates how many years the damaging effects of smoking may take away from your life.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002). Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and economic costs—United States, 1995–1999. MMWR, 51(14): 300–303. Also available online: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5114a2.htm.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1994). Surveillance for selected tobacco-use behaviors—United States, 1900–1994. MMWR, 43(SS-3): 1–43. Also available online: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/ss/ss4303.pdf.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics (2009). Table 26. Life expectancy at birth, at 65 years of age, and at 75 years of age, by race and sex. In Health, United States, 2008 With Chartbook, p. 203.
The damage caused by smoking varies from person to person. This tool uses an estimate based on statistical averages to increase your awareness of how smoking may be impacting your life.
This tool doesn't calculate the long-term impact that smoking will have on the quality of your life and the lives of people you care about. The disabling effects of smoking-related illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, or emphysema can cause significant suffering and medical expense, regardless of whether they directly affect the number of years of your life.
How much time smoking takes from your life also depends on lifestyle choices other than smoking, such as eating habits and exercise. These things may increase or decrease the amount of time your life will be shortened by smoking.
Quitting smoking can be difficult, especially if you have been smoking for a long time. It may take several tries before you succeed. But even if you have a strong dependence on nicotine, it's still possible to quit. And even if you have smoked for many years, quitting smoking now can still increase your lifespan and improve the quality of your life.
The best way to stop smoking is to get help and to follow a plan. You can increase your chances of quitting if you:
Taking medicine while also getting counseling works even better for quitting smoking.
Current as of: February 27, 2023
Author: Healthwise StaffMedical Review: E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal MedicineKathleen Romito MD - Family MedicineAdam Husney MD - Family MedicineLisa S. Weinstock MD - Psychiatry
Current as of: February 27, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:E. Gregory Thompson MD - Internal Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Lisa S. Weinstock MD - Psychiatry
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.
To learn more about Healthwise, visit Healthwise.org.
© 1995-2023 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.
To improve your search results use quotation marks when searching for a specific phrase.
For example, if you search for substance use, a search WITHOUT quotation marks would find listings that include the words
"substance" OR "use." A search WITH quotation marks ("substance use") would find listings only with the whole phrase "substance use."
Para traducir este sitio web, debe actualizar su navegador a la última versión de Microsoft Edge.
Để dịch trang web này, bạn phải nâng cấp trình duyệt của mình lên phiên bản Microsoft Edge mới nhất.
要翻译该网站,您必须将浏览器升级到最新版本的 Microsoft Edge.
Are you sure you want to delete this item?


text:
A lion and an ant act courteously when other animals make pigs of themselves
The Lion's Share: A Tale of Halving Cake and Eating it. By Matthew McElligott. Walker, 32 pp., $16.99. Ages: See discussion below.
By Janice Harayda
A children's librarian suggested I read this book when I couldn't find Jerry Pinkney's The Lion and the Mouse, and I'm not sorry she did. The almost-too-cute homophone in the subtitle — halving your cake — is the sort of device that can bode ominously. And the wordplay doesn't end there. The Lion's Share is a literary triple-layer cake — a fable, an etiquette lesson, and an introduction to fractions — about a lion who shares the lion's share of his triple-layer cake with an ant and other animals.
But Matthew McElligott integrates the wordplay well into in a story amusingly illustrated with digitally enhanced ink and watercolor. And he offers lively lessons in fractions, and practice in counting to 256, as all of his creatures except the lion and the ant make pigs of themselves at dinner. In a tale with an Aesopian flavor, an ant who politely waits her turn for cake seems at first to lose but wins in the end.
Best line/picture: McElliggott devotes one page to nothing but pictures of 256 peanut-butter cakes and makes it interesting.
Worst line/picture: Still not sure about that "halving cake" in the subtitle …
Ages: In schools this book is most likely to be used in grades 1–3. But it would suit any child who hasn't outgrown picture books and is starting to learn multiplication and division.
Published: February 2009
Furthermore: McElligott teaches at Sage College in Albany, NY. Besides a lion and an ant, The Lion's Share involves a beetle, frog, macaw, warthog, tortoise, gorilla, hippo, and an elephant.
You can also follow Jan Harayda on Twitter. She comments on books at www.twitter.com/janiceharayda and satirizes American literary culture and the publishing industry at www.twitter.com/fakebooknews.


text:
- Collection Overview
- Collection Description & Creator Information
- Access & Use
- Collection History
- Find Related Materials
Dickey, James, 1960-1962
Collection Overview
Collection Description & Creator Information
- Description:
This collection consists of virtually all of the surviving records of Scribners (1846-1984), the New York City publisher, and reflect aspects of all of its publishing functions (soliciting and acquiring books, editing manuscripts, printing and manufacturing books, advertising and publicizing publications) and business concerns (book and magazine publisher, retail bookstore, subscription books department, educational books department, printing press and bindery, rare books department). Included are files of editorial correspondence with authors, manufacturing records about book production, advertising records, author contracts, a collection of dust jackets, book catalogs, ledgers, and photographs. While there are gaps in most of the series or record groups, there are records representative of all of the firm's former permutations: Baker & Scribner, Charles Scribner & Co., Scribner, Armstrong & Co., Scribner, Armstrong & Welford, Scribner & Co., Charles Scribner's Sons. The bulk of the material (1880s-1970s), however, dates from the period when the publisher bore its most familiar name, "Charles Scribner's Sons." There is also material related to early publishers' organizations and international copyright.
The family-owned nature of the company is reflected in the files of its successive heads: Charles Scribner, 1821-1871 (Princeton Class of 1840), Charles Scribner, 1854-1930 (Princeton Class of 1875), Arthur Hawley Scribner, 1859-1932 (Princeton Class of 1881), Charles Scribner, 1890-1952 (Princeton Class of 1913), Charles Scribner, 1921-1995 (Princeton Class of 1943), Charles Scribner, 1951- (Princeton Class of 1973). Company staff well-represented in the collection include Edward L. Burlingame (first editor of the firm's most successful magazine, Scribner's Magazine), Robert Bridges and Alfred Dashiell (Burlingame's successors), legendary editor Maxwell Perkins (editor of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe), other editors (W. C. Brownell, John Hall Wheelock, Wallace Meyer, Harry Brague, Burroughs Mitchell, Elinor Parker), business manager and later vice-president Whitney Darrow, and London office managers (Charles Welford, Lemuel Bangs, Charles Kingsley, John Carter).
Some of the best-known authors that were published by Scribners in the 19th century are T. S. Arthur, Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen, Noah Brooks, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Horace Bushnell, George Washington Cable, Richard Harding Davis, Mary Mapes Dodge (author and editor of the firm's children's magazine, St. Nicholas), Eugene Field, John Fox Jr., Harold Frederic, Alice French ("Octave Thanet"), A. B. Frost (author/illustrator), Charles Dana Gibson (author/illustrator), Arnold Guyot, J. T. Headley, J. G. Holland (author and editor of the firm's first commercial magazine, Scribner's Monthly), Henry James, Caroline M. Kirkland, Sidney Lanier, Brander Matthews, Donald Grant Mitchell ("Ik Marvel"), Thomas Nelson Page, Maxfield Parrish (illustrator), Howard Pyle (author/illustrator), George Santayana, Philip Schaff, Ernest Thompson Seton, F. Hopkinson Smith, Henry M. Stanley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Frank R. Stockton, Richard Henry Stoddard, Mary Virginia Terhune ("Marion Harland"), Henry van Dyke, N. P. Willis, and Edith Wharton.
Other authors that began publishing with Scribners in the 20th century include James Truslow Adams, Edward W. Bok, Paul Hyde Bonner, James Boyd, Thomas Boyd, Struthers Burt, Taylor Caldwell, Sir Winston Churchill, Robert Creeley, Marcia Davenport, August Derleth, Loren Eiseley, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Douglas Southall Freeman, John Galsworthy (winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize for Literature), Caroline Gordon, Grey Owl (Archibald Stansfeld Belaney), Nancy Hale, Ernest Hemingway (winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature), P. D. James, Will James, James Jones, Ring Lardner, Allan Nevins, Reinhold Niebuhr, Alan Paton, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, C. P. Snow, Allen Tate, Arthur Train, Thomas Wolfe, Willard Huntington Wright ("S. S. Van Dine"), N. C. Wyeth (illustrator), and Stark Young.
In addition to company records, the records contain Scribner family papers, primarily correspondence and photographs. Papers relating to John Insley Blair, the 19th-century American railroad capitalist and father-in-law of the firm's founder, as well as other Blair family members, are included.
Collection History
- Archival Appraisal Information:
In 1957-1958, the Scribner's Art Dept. donated some material to the Archives of American Art, including portrait files, illustrator files, and miscellaneous reference files. Images and descriptions of these items are available at: http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/charles-scribners-sons-art-reference-dept-records-5715.
Access & Use
- Access Restrictions:
Collection is open for research use.
Originals for boxes 73-75; boxes 193-195; boxes 197-199; box 287, folder 9; boxes 768-771; box 772, folders 1-30; box 773, folder 41; boxes 774-779; and box 866, folders 1-3 are stored in special vault facilities.
- Conditions for Reproduction and Use:
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. No further photoduplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to RBSC Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.
- Credit this material:
Dickey, James; Archives of Charles Scribner's Sons, C0101, Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library
- Location:
- Firestone LibraryOne Washington RoadPrinceton, NJ 08544, USA(609) 258-3184
- Storage Note:
- Firestone Library (mss): Box 1147


text:
R' is for Rant
The ABC's of Rating Dangerous Climbs.
In 1981 John Bachar established the Bachar/Yerian (5.11c R/X) on Medlicott Dome, Tuolumne. The 450-foot, three-pitch knobby line, with a total of nine bolts including anchors, instantly became a testpiece for the world's elite. Unbelievably, it remains a testpiece even today, 26 years later, when the climbing scale is well into the 5.15s.
During the winter of 2006 I made the second ascent of From Switzerland with Love, a steep finger crack in Indian Creek rated 5.13+ R. The climbing was brilliant—a touch sandy but, hey, it's Utah. For two days, I stuffed my bloody fingers into the continuous fissure and swung my feet from side to side. I placed seven cams and fell onto most of them at least once. On my third day, I clipped the chains. As I lowered and cleaned my gear, I wondered why the route's rating included a capital "R" I didn't recall any runouts.
Later, I watched some gripping video of the first ascent and realized that Didier Berthod had skipped an obvious gear placement to reach a better stance, thus climbing hard above fairly threatening territory. I was impressed by Berthod's willingness to pull down like that above gear, but still, my question remained. Did simply skipping an obvious cam placement warrant an R rating?
I respect both Berthod and the climb. But as trad climbing continues to progress—with recent ascents such as Rhapsody (E11 7a) and The Promise (E10 7a), both in the U.K., and China Doll (5.14a R) in Boulder Canyon—the relationship between difficulty ratings and danger ratings deserves reexamination.
Danger grades are just as important as YDS numbers. First, consider the obvious issue of safety. It's not fair to grade a climb R when it is clearly X-rated, or, on the flip side, completely safe. In both instances, all you're doing, besides feeding an ego, is misleading later parties by putting them at great risk or keeping them off an otherwise enjoyable climb. Danger ratings require just as much respect as any other grade, yet they are one of the least discussed and most misunderstood topics in North American climbing.
How hard? How high? How scary?
Answers to these elusive questions arrive in the form of ratings. We use the letters R and X to determine the safety factor of a climb. These letters apply to anything involving a rope, but they are now sneaking into highball bouldering as well. They are also pretty easy to understand. To wit:
R equals runout or restricted (depending on whom you ask). A fall from an R-rated climb would produce a lot of force, possibly resulting in injury. Big fall; decent gear; small chance of hitting the ground or ledge.
R/X steps up the danger. A fall from the wrong place would mean an injury, possibly a serious one, or even death. Big fall; second-fiddle gear; a chance of hitting the ground or ledge.
X marks the spot—pure poison. The climb is either extremely runout or slightly runout over totally crap gear, and either way the result is the same: serious injury but most likely death. Big fall; atrocious gear; excellent chance of hitting the ground and/or ledge.
See, I told you it was a breeze.
See, I told you it was a breeze.
From Switzerland with Love offered no obvious runout—the crack ran cleanly from the ground to the top. Technically, you could place bomber gear every two inches. Therefore, this route is not R. It's an incredible line but it lacked something I and many others enjoy: the intense experience of being scared and uncertain—elements often found in alpine climbing, free soloing and hard trad.
From Switzerland with Love offered no obvious runout—the crack ran cleanly from the ground to the top. Technically, you could place bomber gear every two inches. Therefore, this route is not R. It's an incredible line but it lacked something I and many others enjoy: the intense experience of being scared and uncertain—elements often found in alpine climbing, free soloing and hard trad.
Like Bachar, I believe that climbing is equal parts mental and physical strength, but the modern climbing scene places more importance on the latter. I want the strength of Wolfgang Gullich, the confidence of Peter Croft and the tenacity of Lynn Hill. I don't climb R (and sometimes X) rated routes because I am a master—I climb them to become a master, a lifelong pursuit. My most memorable moments are not of the sport climbs I had dialed into submission, or of tiny crimps on tiny boulders, but the very brief indescribable seconds of climbing through the runout on a dangerous line.
During those sublime moments under pressure, the mind simplifies and becomes inwardly focused. The chirping birds are gone. The encouraging words yelled up from below, gone. The cold wind on your face is gone and the fear of falling, gone. There is nothing but breath and energy.
And when you get to the next piece, or the safety of a belay, it's over. All that is left is the blood on your fingers, the pain in your arms and the fire in your eyes. It's actually a funny paradox that we spend nearly all of our energy getting strong, squeezing, crimping and holding on, yet we find the real joy of climbing once we let go.


text:
The BBC reports that London's Heathrow Airport is closed after a fire broke out aboard a parked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner. No injuries were reported, and apparently no one was aboard the plane when the fire started while parked away from the airport's gates. "The aircraft was parked on a remote parking stand," a Heathrow spokesperson told the BBC.
Update: Video coverage of the fire shows fire damage in the aft end of the aircraft, near the old ocation of the battery compartment that powers the Auxiliary Power Units, used to start the engines. The batteries are now located just behind the wings. And in a separate incident today, a Thompson Airways 787 flying from Manchester, England to Florida returned to Manchester because of an unspecified "technical issue."
The fire comes just under three months after the Federal Aviation Administration approved fixes implemented by Boeing to the lithium-ion batteries used aboard the 787 and lifted the grounding order on the aircraft. Ironically, the plane that caught fire at Heathrow today was the same plane that made the first commercial 787 flight after the fixes were implemented.
So far, the cause of the fire is "unexplained," according to London's Metropolitan Police. But the fire aboard a Japan Air Lines 787 in Boston that precipitated the three-month grounding of the 787 fleet occurred under similar circumstances while the plane was unattended after a long flight. The cause of that fire was thermal runaway, a catastrophic overheating of the battery's cells caused by multiple short-circuits in a single cell of the plane's battery.
The redesigned battery system added insulation around battery cells to lower the likelihood of short-circuits between cells. It also put the battery in a fire-proof, explosion-resistant box that is supposed to contain any battery failure and prevent the spread of a fire.


text:
21-Mar-2018 by Inflectra Company News
Due to the arrival of a severe winter storm in the Washington, DC metro area, Inflectra offices will be closed today - March 21st, 2018. All staff will be teleworking and we will be providing full email and help desk support as normal. However due to the weather event, we will not be providing phone support except for emergency cases. So if you have any questions or issues, please log a help desk ticket on our website.
SpiraTest combines test management, requirements traceability & bug-tracking
SpiraTeam brings your teams together, managing the entire application lifecycle
SpiraPlan lets you manage your programs and portfolio of projects like never before
Orchestrates your automated regression testing, functional, load and performance
The ultimate test automation platform for web, mobile, and desktop applications
The help desk system, designed specifically for software support teams
Cloud hosted, secure source code management - Git and Subversion
Exploratory testing capture tool that automatically records your testing activity
Let us deal with the IT pain so you don't have to. Or use on-premise if you prefer.
See how Inflectra tools work with you, whatever your roleTesters | Developers | Managers
Our customers work in every industry imaginable. From financial services to healthcare and biotech to government and defense and more, we work with our customers to address their specific needs.
Our products do not enforce a methodology on you, instead they let you work your way. Whether you work in agile development, Scrum, XP, Kanban and Lean, Waterfall, hybrid, or Scaled Agile Inflectra can help.
If you want to learn more about application delivery, testing, and more take a look at our whitepapers, videos, background papers, blog, and presentations.
Our suite of Accelerators speed up your deployment and adoption of our products, increasing your return on investment and reducing the cost of ownership.
We collaborate with a wide range of organizations to bring our customers a range of services (including load testing, training, and consulting), complimentary technologies, and specialized tools for specific industries.
Learn how different organizations have benefited from using Inflectra products to manage their software testing and application develooment.
See how Inflectra tools work with you, whatever your roleTesters | Developers | Managers
Outstanding support is the foundation of our company. We make support a priority over all other work. Take a look at our support policy.
Discover great tips, discussions, and technical solutions from fellow customers and Inflectra's technical experts.
If you can't find the answer you're looking for, please get in touch with us: over email, phone, or online.
We are constantly creating new videos to help customers learn about our products, including through in depth webinars, all freely available along with a wide selection of presentations.
We provide a number of resources to help customers learn how to get the most out of our products, with free online resources, virtual classrooms, and face to face.
Read about Inflectra, our manifesto, and values. Meet our incredible customers who are building awesome things, and our leadership team that are committed to building a great company.
The Inflectra Blog contains articles on all aspects of the software lifecycle.
In addition we have whitepapers, background articles, videos and presentations to help get you started.
Events are a big part of our awesome customer service. They are a chance to learn more about us, our products, and how to level up your skills with our tools.
We partner with educational institutions and individuals all over the world. We are also a great place to work and encourage you to explore joining our team.
Please contact us with your questions, feedback, comments, or suggestions. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.
When you need additional assistance (be it training, consulting, or integration services) our global certified solution provider partner network is ready to help.
At Inflectra, we are fully committed to provide our customers with the very best products and customer service. Check out some of our recent awards.
We want to help developers extend and customize our tools to fit in with their needs. We provide robust APIs, sample code, and open source projects.


text:
Street League 2013 Portland Finals – TransWorld SKATEboarding
It was another nailbiting final at Street League in Portland, Oregon yesterday. To everyone's surprise, Nyjah got eliminated early on in the Flow Section. In the final Impact Section, it was a throwdown between Chris Cole, Ishod Wair, Luan Oliveira, and Paul Rodriguez. Amid the chaos, Shane O'Neill got a 9.9 with an insane switch 360 double flip, but he already had too many bails to be a contender. In the end, Paul's frontside bigspin heelflip was the trick that put him in first. Cole and Ishod both needed big scores to unseat Paul, and both went for backside 360 ollie kickflips, but both bailed. This is Paul's second career Street League win, and his first this season. Two more SLS stops left!
Klokov Dmitry – weightlifting beginning – 1996
Dmitry Klokov – weightlifting beginning 1996 – PART 1


text:
Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
.....the fact that you have the option to do all of these incredible things with LMCE is amazing without being charged way to much.
If you want Tv and media only I have had great luck with KnoppMyth. Not anything nearly as feature rich as LinuxMCE but works good for what it does.
I'd be better off buying a high end pc and a licence for snapstream, install it and it's working perfectly... Probably for less than a third of the cost...


text:
Easy Easter Decorations
Colors of spring
Spring flowers and dyed eggs make a striking centerpiece especially when grouped by color. To make the stripes on eggs, wrap with rubber bands when you dye them.
Under glass
Build a "nest" on a vintage plate with floral trimmings or sprigs from the yard, then top with a bell cloche. Tip: To avoid condensation on the glass or eggs, place tiny adhesive Glue Dots under the rim of the cloche so air can circulate.
Eye-catching eggs
For your Easter table, dye fresh eggs in a few vibrant colors. Or decoupage papier-mâché egg forms using strips of cotton fabric and matte Mod Podge.
Egg place cards
Egg place cards make a charming addition to your Easter table. Write or paint guests' names on eggs, or type names and print as a mirror image (in reverse) on rub-on paper and apply to eggs.
Good eggs
Rinsed eggshells work as tiny bud vases or planters for mini succulents and ferns. Place in egg cups or group in an egg carton.
Food dye beauties
Use a box of food coloring for easy egg-dyeing. For each color, combine 1 cup hot water, 1⁄2 cup white distilled vinegar and desired amount of food coloring in a bowl. Leave eggs in the dye for 15 minutes. Here's how much we used (clockwise starting at bright red egg with white band): ruby, 40 drops red; teal, 10 drops blue and 30 drops green; tomato, 40 drops red and 5 drops yellow; apple green, 30 drops yellow and 10 drops green; sunny yellow, 40 drops yellow; navy, 40 drops blue; turquoise, 40 drops green; apricot (center egg with dots) 40 drops yellow and 15 drops red.
For stripes, wrap rubber bands around eggs. For spots, punch shapes from self-adhesive removable vinyl. Apply accents before dyeing eggs; remove when dry.
Layered look
Reimagine the usual napkin-on-top place setting by tucking a jazzy linen between solid-color plates. Result: A graphic frame for a single, swooping radish.
Nest of eggs
A handful of dyed eggs and some easy-to-find carnations create a quick, fun spring centerpiece.
Nestle dyed eggs in a small bowl and set in the center of a medium-size footed bowl (prop bowl on a dish if necessary). Fill the footed bowl with a few inches of water. Cut carnation stems about 2 or 3 inches long, and pack the blooms around the bowl of eggs.
Flower accents
Nothing says spring like a daffodil. Place one or two stems on your place setting and group others in a vase for a beautiful table that's perfect for Easter brunch.
Easy does it
Peel and stick Create a miniature tabletop garden with 3D scrapbooking stickers. Just peel and stick, then display in egg cups!
Strips of color Cut one-inch strips of tissue paper, then adhere to eggs using Mod Podge as a base. Overlap strips to vary designs and colors. Seal with another coat of Mod Podge.
Spring greeting
A clear cookie jar shows off a mix of dyed eggs and a medley of flowers united by their color.
Start with a large-mouth cookie jar or canister, a clear drinking glass that fits inside the jar, dyed hard-cooked eggs and flowers. Center the drinking glass inside the jar and carefully stack the eggs between the glass and jar, alternating egg colors. Fill the glass with water.
Cut the stems of your favorite flowers (we used roses, gerbera daisies, tulips, hyacinths and bells of Ireland) to the desired length and arrange them in the glass.
Focus on fronds
Ruffled bird's nest fern fronds from the florist form a fresh green bouquet. Single plant fronds of any type work just as well; bunch them to fill out the container and stand upright.
Golden eggs
Give your Easter eggs extra dazzle with designs created from gold acrylic craft paint, a gold metallic-ink pad or a gold Sharpie paint marker.
Use fine- or extra-fine-tip Sharpie markers to create freehand designs. For a stamped design, such as polka dots, dip a pencil eraser or foam stamp into craft paint or a metallic-ink pad, then press and lift. To create a dipped design, put gold acrylic craft paint in a small bowl and thin with water if needed. Put egg in halfway, remove and let excess paint drip off. Dry wet side up. For clean, sharp lines, apply painter's tape before dipping. If you want to preserve your eggs for future years, blow out the eggs before decorating.
Easter egg tree
Pretty egg ornaments hang from cherry blossom branches. We attached blown, dyed eggs to ribbon with quick-setting gel glue. Tie the ribbon ends in a knot and drape on spring branches.
Standing eggs
A tiered stand shows off eggs displayed in woven craft nests. Accent with flowers, moss and greenery.
Tiny bouquets
These little bouquets double as table decorations and take-home gifts for guests. Stick play clay in the bottom of rinsed eggshells and insert real or artificial flowers. Make stands from strips of scrapbook paper.
Banded eggs
Place rubber bands around eggs before dipping in dye to create pretty linear designs.
Easy patterned eggs
Give Easter eggs more than a dye job using a colorful, patterned washi tape, a paperlike product that originated in Japan. (We ordered our perky pink and blue patterns from cutetape.com). Cut 1-inch and 1/2-inch pieces to create a patchwork effect, or snip thin strips to apply vertically.
Stress-free taping For easy trimming, stick a piece of washi tape to a cutting mat. With a utility knife and ruler, cut to desired size and shape. Tape easily peels off the mat to stick to eggs.
Easter spirit
Trade traditional bunnies for stylish birds on your brunch table.
For the centerpiece, tuck eggs into a nest of dried moss from a crafts store. Arrange it inside a birdcage. Accent with short twigs. Pink blossoms (in floral water picks) and gingham ribbon finish the look.
For the place setting, layer pink gingham and cream ribbons over a napkin. Tuck ends under plates, and top with a vintage or reproduction bird postcard and a single rose.
A bird-theme stamp and ink pad make a coordinating take-home gift. Wrap the ink pad in scrapbooking paper. Nestle items in a ceramic mug or paper bag stuffed with dried moss and faux feathers. Attach a name card with ribbon.
Hats off
Improvise an Easter basket using a sweet straw hat. Fill it with softly colored eggs, either hollowed or artificial. Personalize with rub-on letters or even notes tucked inside, if you're using hollowed eggs.
To empty an egg, use a long needle to gently prick a small hole into each of the egg's two ends. Pierce the yolk with the needle and then gently blow into one hole, pushing the contents out the other end.
Watercolor style
You can't go wrong with watercolors and eggs—the eggs will look beautiful no matter what you do. But here are some basic decorating techniques:
Dotted: Dip a round sponge dauber in paint. Press and lift to make polka dots. Mix different shades and sponge sizes.
Banded: Wet a flat brush and dip in paint. Brush up and down around the egg to form a wide stripe with jagged edges.
Marbled: Use a round brush to apply a base color. While it's wet, add another shade using a generous amount of water so the paints blend and swirl.
Teapot centerpiece
Add height to your Easter table by stacking a teapot on top of a pedestal serving piece. Place a vibrant bouquet in the teapot and surround the base with colored eggs.
Natural accents
Look for natural accents in your backyard to add to Easter eggs. Petals, leaves, feathers and even blades of grass add an earthy appeal to eggs. Paint a portion of the egg with matte Mod Podge, then place a thin natural object on the web surface. Smooth in place and apply another coat of Mod Podge on top.
A carton of pretty
Rinsed eggshells with just a tiny opening for fresh flowers and greenery pair nicely with dyed eggs in a carton.
Poppies and wheat grass
To create this contemporary Easter centerpiece, we placed wheat grass in a galvanized metal tray and propped poppies on top using garden wire. White egg cups also hold wheatgrass and a place card.
Sweet spring wake-up
Set a pretty Easter tabletop with inexpensive pastel gingham fabrics, ribbons and simple white dishware.
With pinking shears, cut a tablecloth to fit your table. Dress up napkins with decorative trim, such as rickrack. Wrap ribbons around a white centerpiece container and coordinating ramekins (or egg holders) for the place settings. To make place cards out of colored eggs, apply names with adhesive letters from a crafts supply store, or use your own white ink script.
Layer dessert plates for color, then nestle eggs and perky daisies in fresh wheatgrass from a health-food or pet-food store.
Color swirls
This decorating technique is easy enough for kids (or grandkids) to lead the way. Just brush washable tempera paint on boiled white eggs with a 1/2˝-wide flat paintbrush.
Dots and stripes
Tissue paper and washi tape dress up plain white eggs in minutes. For the polka-dot eggs, use a hole punch to make tissue paper dots. Apply a glue stick to the egg, then adhere the dots. (To pick up dots, dampen your fingertip so dots will stick to it, then press them onto the egg.) To create the striped eggs, wrap with pieces of washi tape or patterned paper tape from a crafts store.
Natural dyes
If you've got some extra veggies or fruits, you've got the basics for creating natural dyes. Simmer foods such as beets, apple peels, carrots, red cabbage or red onion peels in a cup of water, then add a dash of vinegar to create your dye. Soak eggs from a few minutes to overnight for a range of colors. See next slide for 4 egg dye "recipes."
Natural dye recipes
You can experiment with whatever fruits, veggies, herbs and spices you have on hand to create your own dyes, but here are four ideas to get you started:
Yellow Add 6 tablespoons turmeric and 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 4 cups hot water and stir until dissolved.
Blue Add one head of shredded purple cabbage to to 4 cups boiling water. Sir in 1 tablespoon white vinegar and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cabbage with a slotted spoon (save it for a recipe, if you like).
Orange Add the skins of 6 yellow onions to 3 cups boiling water. Stir in 1 tablespoon white vinegar and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the dye.
Red Cut 6 medium beets into chunks and add them to 4 cups boiling water. Stir in 1 tablespoon white vinegar and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the beets with a slotted spoon (save them for a recipe, if you like).


text:
Tony Stewart back at the track, looking to heal
HAMPTON, Ga. - Tony Stewart took his seat on the podium - unshaven, his eyes glassy - and unfolded a sheet of paper. His voice quivered as he read, pausing to maintain his composure as he described the death of a driver he hit as "one of the toughest tragedies I've ever had to deal with."
This was a far cry from the brash driver known around the track as "Smoke."
Ninety minutes later, he climbed into his No. 14 car and sped toward the high-banked oval at Atlanta Motor Speedway, drawing a cheer from the crowd gathered around his garage. He quickly got up to speed, turning laps of nearly 190 mph, a racer back in his element.
Ready or not, Stewart is back on the track.
Describing himself as heartbroken but eager to heal, Stewart rejoined the race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship surrounded by those he considers a second family - his team, his crew, his rivals. He missed the last three races, going into seclusion after the sprint car he was driving struck and killed 20-year-old Kevin Ward Jr., who had stepped on the track to confront him during a race.
"This is something that will definitely affect my life forever," Stewart said. "This is a sadness and a pain I hope no one has to experience in their life. That being said, I know that the pain and mourning that Kevin Ward's family and friends are experiencing is something that I can't possibly imagine."
He'll get back to work as an investigation continues in upstate New York.
Authorities said Friday that the probe into the cause of the crash will last at least another two weeks. No decision has been made about whether Stewart will face charges.
He mentioned Ward's parents and three sisters by name, saying he wanted them "to know that every day I'm thinking about them and praying for them."
Stewart took no questions about Ward's death because of the ongoing investigation, and said he wasn't sure if he had the emotional strength to answer them anyway. But his timid, halting delivery presented a much different side to a racer whose infamous temper has sparked clashes with the media and fellow drivers.
It was business as usual when Stewart switched to his racing suit.
He signed autographs. He talked with his crew about the car's setup. He chatted up Kurt Busch.
Behind the wheel, Stewart looked as though he had never been away. He advanced to the final round of qualifying before settling for the 12th starting spot in Sunday night's race with a speed of 187.907 mph. One of his teammates at Stewart-Haas Racing, Kevin Harvick, claimed the pole at 190.398.
Stewart went out ahead of Harvick and advised him to take a lower line on the track.
"He was definitely a big help," Harvick said. Afterward the two chatted briefly, a conversation Harvick described as "all racing."
If Stewart should win in Atlanta, or next week's race at Richmond, he would qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. While NASCAR requires its drivers to compete in every event to make the playoff, Stewart was granted a waiver that is normally applied to a driver who misses a race for medical reasons.
Mike Helton, president of the governing body, said NASCAR made the decision after consulting with third-party experts who "were relevant under these circumstances." He would not elaborate.
"We want to join everybody in racing in welcoming Tony back," Helton said. "He's a great asset to NASCAR. He's a great champion, a great participant in our sport."
There was no word from Ward's family on Stewart's return. A woman who answered Friday at the home of Kevin Ward Sr. said the family would not be commenting.
During an Aug. 9 sprint-car event in upstate New York, Stewart and Ward's cars bumped while racing into a turn, sending Ward's car spinning. Ward climbed from his wrecked machine and wandered onto a darkened track in a black racing suit, wanting to make his displeasure known to the three-time NASCAR champion.
One car appeared to swerve to avoid Ward, but he was struck by the back right tire of Stewart's car.
The 43-year-old Stewart pulled out of the race at nearby Watkins Glen the morning after Ward was killed, and then skipped events at Michigan and Bristol.
"I've taken the last couple of weeks off out of respect for Kevin and his family and also to cope with the accident in my own way," he said. "It's given me the time to think about life and how easy it is to take it for granted. I miss my team, my teammates and I miss being back in the race car, and I think being back in the car this week with my racing family will help me get through this difficult time."
Asked if it was fair to make Stewart eligible for the Chase, rival driver Denny Hamlin wavered a bit.
"It's a very vague thing," he said. "It's tough to say what's considered medical and not."
Stewart-Haas Racing executive vice president Brett Frood said the driver sent flowers and a card to Ward's family around the time of the funeral. He hopes to meet with them at some point.
"He's been very respectful of them and their time to grieve," Frood said. "It's important for Tony to spend time with the family. I do think that will happen at the appropriate time."
Stewart said he knows there are plenty of questions surrounding Ward's death. Many of those have focused on whether he was trying to frighten a young driver who had the nerve to challenge him over a racing crash. But he emphasized that the best way for him to heal was to put on his helmet.
"Being in that car," Harvick said, "cure a lot of problems for a short time."


text:
Valley Yarns Patterns (1251)
Our collection of Valley Yarns Patterns & Drafts offer you the latest styles and trends in knitting, crocheting and weaving. Using our exclusive Valley Yarns fibers, Valley Yarns Patterns & Drafts will help inspire your work and leave you with lasting garments and accessories you'll love showing off. Be sure to check out our great selection of Valley Yarns Kits too! Which offer you a pattern and yarn combo, with one-stop shopping! Valley Yarns Patterns & Drafts will help you make the most out of your fiber artistry!
Need to check for pattern updates? Find Valley Yarns Patterns Errata here.
Valley Yarns knitting and crochet patterns and weaving drafts are for personal use only and may not be copied. Any commercial use, including selling patterns and/or drafts and items made from them is prohibited.


text:
Be Comfortable Walking in Cold and Wet Weather
Don't let cold temperatures or rain deter you from your walking routine this fall and winter. Take the following weather-related precautions, and a change in the weather won't tempt you to skip your workout.
If you're new to exercise, be sure to check with your doctor before beginning a new program.
Cold weather
Dress in layers that can be removed easily as you warm up. Clothing should be made from fabrics that wick moisture away from the body. Even when it is wet, wool stays warm, but cotton, if it gets wet, will stay wet and can lead to hypothermia. Start with long underwear or tights and a turtleneck. Add a sweater, windproof jacket, windproof and weatherproof pants, a warm hat and gloves. If it is really cold, wear a scarf or knit mask to cover your face and mouth.
Wear waterproof shoes and wool socks if it's cold and wet.
Wear sunscreen. Sun reflecting on snow and ice can cause a sunburn.
Wear UV protective glasses or sunglasses
Wear shoes with nonskid soles or rubber cleats and shorten your stride when walking on icy pavement.
Don't walk after drinking alcohol. Beer, wine, and spirits dilate your blood vessels, making you lose heat more quickly.
Don't smoke before or during your walk. Nicotine constricts your blood vessels, reducing the supply of blood and oxygen to your hands and feet.
Stay hydrated, it's important to drink fluids while exercising in winter, too.
Wet weather
Wear rain-resistant clothing made of materials such as Gore-Tex. Wearing a long rain poncho with a hood is an alternative.
Wear waterproof or leather shoes to keep your feet drier. Wool-blend socks will keep your feet warm even when they're wet.
Pay attention to severe storms. Return home or seek shelter if lightning or dangerous winds approach.


text:
Molecular Genetics Laboratory
A genetics laboratory is an integral part of the Primatology department, providing the facilities for genetic investigations of wild primate populations. Genetic data can be combined with information on behavior, group structure or range, or geographic distribution to yield insights into the evolution of the living primates. Genetic analysis can be done at various levels, and the methods used vary depending upon the questions of interest. Some of the topics we address using genetic approaches are:
Kinship and social behavior
Why is it challenging to identify pairs of kin in wild populations? Do kin relationships affect how individuals interact with one another? Are maternal or paternal kin preferred? How do individuals grow to recognize kin?more
In the absence of multigeneration pedigrees, it is challenging but not impossible to use genetic analysis to decipher which pairs of individuals are parent-offspring or siblings, and we have described this painstaking process in detail (Städele & Vigilant 2016; Langergraber et al., 2007). Assessment of kinship and behavior is particularly interesting in chimpanzees because male chimpanzees are philopatric and thus spend their entire lives in the same group and engage in extensive affiliative and cooperative behavior. We have determined that in wild chimpanzee communities, the majority of adult individuals are unrelated to one another (Lukas et al., 2005; Langergraber et al., 2007). Furthermore, while maternal brothers cooperate at high rates, unrelated males also form close bonds, while paternal brothers exhibit no preference for one another (Langergraber et al., 2007). Similarly, although female chimpanzee also form social bonds with one another, pairs of close kin are rare (Langergraber et al., 2009). This suggests that like humans, chimpanzees are quite flexible in their choice of cooperative partners. Wild white-faced capuchin females typically have several maternal and paternal female relatives in the group, but only exhibit preferences for maternal kin (Perry et al., 2008) and along with the evidence from chimpanzees this suggests that preferences for paternal kin may not be widespread in primates. Both male and female gorillas disperse and thus are not expected to be in groups with their relatives. However, analysis of multiple groups of western gorillas suggested that male silverback gorillas may range near relatives, and suggested that this may account for the somewhat puzzling accounts of reduced aggression observed (Bradley et al., 2004). Despite dispersing one or more times, female gorillas also have the potential for interactions with kin, as they often end up in a group containing a female relative (Bradley et al., 2007; Arandjelovic et al., 2014) as do female hamadryas baboons (Städele et al, 2016). In both mountain gorillas and in capuchin monkeys we have focused on behavior of the dominant males, mothers and infants to begin to understand social or biological cues for kinship (Rosenbaum et al., 2015; Rosenbaum et al., 2016; Godoy et al., 2016).
Paternity and behavior
In group-living primates, which individuals father the offspring? How does social behavior influence the distribution of paternities? Is inbreeding avoided and if so, how?more
Primate males compete for reproductive opportunities, and genetic analysis is necessary to determine who has succeeded in fathering offspring. In chimpanzees, males with high social rank generally have higher reproductive success (Vigilant et al., 2001; Boesch et al., 2006; Newton-Fisher et al., 2010) although this advantage varies with group size and other factors (Inoue et al., 2008). Male-female dyadic associations influence the distribution of paternities in chimpanzees (Langergraber et al, 2013) and Assamese macaques (Ostner et al., 2013). Furthermore, cooperative relationships among male Assamese macaques affect rank and influence the distribution of paternities in the group (Schülke et al., 2010). Mature male orang-utans may remain gracile or develop pronounced secondary sexual characteristics such as large size and cheek pads, and each strategy may have situation-dependent advantages in obtaining paternities (Banes et al., 2015). In mountain gorilla groups containing more than one male, the dominant male sires the majority of the offspring but apparently cannot prevent subordinates from also achieving some reproductive success (Bradley et al., 2005; Nsubuga et al., 2008). In primate groups in which the dominant male sires the majority of the offspring, he is usually deposed before his daughters reach breeding age and so inbreeding is avoided. However, in some groups of wild white-faced capuchin monkeys, males may have lengthy tenures as the alpha male. We found that fathers and daughters avoided breeding in such groups, even though the alpha was otherwise reproductively dominant (Muniz et al., 2006; Muniz et al., 2010). Similarly, dominant mountain gorilla males and their resident daughters do not produce offspring, but other forms of inbreeding are not avoided (Vigilant et al., 2015). In capuchin monkeys breeding of both parent-offspring and sibling pairs is avoided, and inbred offspring reproduce later, demonstrating a fitness cost to inbreeding (Godoy et al., 2016).
Dispersal and geographic distribution of genetic variation
Do discontinuous habitats hinder dispersal among population fragments? In continuous habitats, does the environment play any role in structuring dispersal movements?more
Do discontinuous habitats hinder dispersal among population fragments? In continuous habitats, does the environment play a role in structuring dispersal movements? more Based on a study of black and white colobus monkeys, we suggested that often neither observation nor genetic data alone suffice to elucidate patterns of sex-biased dispersal in group-living species (Harris et al., 2009). Indeed, genetic analysis revealed greater than expected male-mediated gene flow in bonobos (Schubert et al., 2011) but refuted suggestions of dispersal of dependent offspring in chimpanzees (Langergraber et a., 2014). We demonstrated that the species-typical pattern of male philopatry and dispersal is likely retained even in a chimpanzee population living in an extreme savannah habitat (Moore et al., 2015). Hamadryas baboons are one of the few primates to have a multilevel society akin to that in humans, and we used genetic analysis to elucidate the extent of sex biases in dispersal at each level (Städele et al., 2015). Gorillas exhibit both male and female dispersal, and so are especially interesting for the comprehensive study of dispersal dynamics and its consequences. In a study of the highly endangered Cross River gorillas, we showed that dispersal among fragments appears to be ongoing, which is encouraging for efforts to protect their habitat and dispersal corridors (Bergl and Vigilant, 2007). Population genetic structure of the Bwindi mountain gorillas suggests that females prefer to disperse to nearby groups that have diet choices similar to those they are accustomed to, and thus that these female mountain gorillas are potentially exhibiting a previously unsuspected natal habitat bias (Guschanski et al., 2008). Genetic structure analysis of the entire Virungas mountain gorilla population showed that males tend to disperse farther than females in this population (Roy et al., 2014). The geographic distribution of genetic diversity in western gorillas shows that rivers are an impediment to gene flow (Fünfstück et al., 2015a). In contrast, the pattern of isolation-by-distance shown across the range of eastern and central chimpanzees is not consistent with differentiation between these purported subspecies (Fünfstück et al., 2015b).
Evolutionary histories of primate populations
How can data from apes provide comparative insights into human evolution? When did different populations of widespread primates, such as eastern and western gorillas, become separate and was this a gradual or sudden process? How and why do genetic diversity estimates differ between populations or species?more
We recently used data from apes to estimate generation times and suggest that population splits between the incipient gorilla, chimpanzee and human species were substantially older than previously suggested (Langergraber et al., 2012). We used Y-chromosome data to show that, as in humans, patrilocal chimpanzee communities show signs of genetic continuity for hundreds or thousands of years (Langergraber et al., 2014). Studies of cultural behaviors in chimpanzees need to carefully account for genetic similarity between populations as an explanation for patterns of cultural variation (Langergraber et al., 2011) and hypotheses for the evolution of complex cooperation in humans are insufficient if they cannot exclude chimpanzees (Langergraber et al., 2011). By generating ~ 15 kb of autosomal DNA sequence data from representatives of western and eastern gorillas and using coalescent modeling approaches we inferred that the western and eastern gorilla species split about 1 million years ago but continued to exchange migrants until perhaps as recently as 80,000 years ago (Thalmann et al., 2007), a result supported by subsequent whole genome analyses (Scally et al., 2012). We found that the eastern lowland and mountain gorilla populations split around 10,000 years ago followed around 5000 years ago by the split of the two mountain gorilla populations and their decrease in size and genetic diversity (Roy et al., 2014). The low diversity observed in the Cross River gorillas, a small disjunct population of western gorillas, was investigated using both contemporary (Bergl et al., 2008) and museum samples (Thalmann et al, 2011) and linked to a population size decrease in the deeper past as well as the last few hundred years. There are many species of gibbons, some of which hybridize where their populations meet, and we conducted extensive study of gibbon population histories with a particular focus on Hylobates using mtDNA, Y-chromosome, and genomic sequencing (Chan et al., 2010; Chan et al., 2012, Chan et al., 2013).
Censusing and tracking
How many individuals occupy a given area, and how are they distributed into groups? Is the population stable or growing?more
Estimating the number of individuals in a wildlife population is difficult, but genetic mark-recapture methods have the potential to not only provide an abundance estimate, as well as information concerning individual relationships, dispersal, and population structure. We have shown that genetic population estimation approaches are more precise than counting indirect signs, such as night nests made by gorillas (Bradley et al., 2008; Guschanski et al., 2009; Vigilant & Guschanski 2009; Arandjelovic et al., 2011) We analyzed hundreds of samples collected over several years in Loango, Gabon and derive estimates of the numbers of gorillas and chimpanzees using the area, as well as group compositions, minimum ranging patterns, and group dynamics (Arandjelovic et al., 2010, 2011, 2014). In collaborative work with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zoology, Beijing) we assessed the population size, structure and genetic diversity of an important population of Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys (Chang et al., 2011; Chang et al., 2012). We have applied genetic mark-recapture to chimpanzees living in forest fragments (Chancellor et al., 2012; McCarthy et al., 2015) as well as savannah (Moore & Vigilant 2014 a, b). In recent work we applied genetic mark-recapture approaches to a chimpanzee population of known size in order to quantify accuracy and precision and identify sources of bias (Granjon et al., 2016). The difficulty of encountering and sampling all individuals, even within the limited range of a mountain gorilla population (Roy et al., 2014), highlights the importance of intense sampling (and consequent laboratory) effort for attaining a precise population estimate, and we recently conducted a pilot project using dogs to detect feces in a rugged Cross River gorilla habitat (Arandjelovic et al., 2015).
Functional genetic variation
How do individuals or populations differ at functionally relevant genetic loci, as contrasted to neutrally evolving genetic loci?more
Genetic analysis of loci assumed to be functionally neutral, such as mtDNA or microsatellites, has been the focus of most studies in wild primate populations. Challenges associated with the use of low quality, low concentration DNA from noninvasive sources, such as feces, chewed fruit or hair, has hindered application of the large- scale sequencing approaches useful to understand functionally relevant genomic variation. The immune genes of the MHC represent the most variable portion of the genome, and analysis of MHC variation can provide information on how individuals and populations have responded to pathogens over time. Our first investigation of MHC variation using traditional sequencing approaches applied to DNA from noninvasive samples showed that it was not yet feasible to analyze large numbers of noninvasive samples (Lukas et al., 2004). We recently used short read high throughput sequencing to characterize novel MHC Class II sequences from gorillas using noninvasive DNA (Hans et al., 2015). Ongoing work is aimed at using varied high throughput sequencing approaches to characterize MHC variation in gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos for inference of past selective events and elucidation of current patterns of diversity among populations. In collaboration with the PanAf project http://www.eva.mpg.de/primat/research-groups/great-ape-evolutionary-ecology-and-conservation/panaf.html we are interested in the genomic variation underlying the ecological, cultural and geographic variation across the extant populations of chimpanzees.


text:
Morning Jolt: Obama won't build Death Star
In the news: An online petition that sought to get the Obama administration to build a Death Star-type space and weapons platform in order to help boost the economy got a "no" from the White House. "The administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon," wrote Paul Shawcross. The petition had read, "By focusing our defense resources into a space-superiority platform and weapon system such as a Death Star, the government can spur job creation in the fields of construction, engineering, space exploration, and more, and strengthen our national defense."
Gas update: Gasbuddy.com reports that the lowest prices are in Colorado ($2.819) and Wyoming ($2.821).
Motivational quote: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain
Watercooler talk: Baby panda makes debut at San Diego Zoo
Xiao Liwu, the sixth panda born at the San Diego Zoo, has made its public debut.
GateHouse News Service


text:
We are migrating towards a new forum system located at community.teamspeak.com, as such this forum will become read-only on January 29, 2020
Linux and FreeBSD specific Server issues.
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.
Forum Rules